Bandy and Ice Hockey in Finland (1894-1930)
The first article in Finland to mention bandy was in 1894 when Charles Tebbutt visited Sweden and introduced the game there. Several articles published over the following years explained the game of bandy/hockey. It was Vyborg (a former Finnish city now part of Russia) that pioneered the game and played internationally as early as 1899. They had great skaters. Helsinki tried the sport around the same time as Vyborg, but it took almost a decade before it really caught on. Helsinki hosted an international winter sports competition that featured bandy in 1907. The tournament also featured teams from Sweden and St. Petersburg. The Finnish Football Federation, which also governed bandy in the country, was established in May. The first national bandy championship in Finland was organized by the football federation and staged in the winter of 1908. It was staged as a knockout competition until 1931, when the SM-sarja was created as the national bandy league. Viipurin Sudet (Vyborg Wolves) won the championship 12 times between 1914 and 1930. The SM-sarja competition in ice hockey was first contested in 1928, but as in other Nordic countries, the sport of bandy remained popular even after hockey also became an established sport. National Bandy Championship Results 1908 ;Semifinals ;Final 1909 ;First round ;Semifinal ;Final 1910 ;Semifinal ;Final 1911 ;Semifinals * Match was unofficial as HIFK loaned players to PU. ;Final 1912 ;First round ;Semifinals ;Semifinal replay ;Final 1913 ;Semifinals ;Final 1914 ;Semifinals ;First replay ;Second replay The first replay was annulled. ;Final Pelattiin 15. maaliskuuta Helsingissä 1915 ;Quarterfinals ;Semifinals ;Final 1916 ;Quarterfinals ;Semifinals ;Final 1917 ;First round ;Quarterfinals ;Semifinals ;Final 1918 The competition was set to include nine teams; four from Helsinki, three from Vyborg, and two from Turku. A new team, Helsingin Palloseura, was going to participate. The championship was slated to begin at the end of January, but was not contested as the Finnish Civil War broke out around the same time. 1919 ;First round ;Second round ;Semifinals ;Final 1920 ;First round ;Second round ;Semifinals ;Final 1921 ;First round ;Semifinals ;Final 1922 ;First round ;Second round ;Semifinals ;Final 1923 ;First round ;Second round ;Third round ;Semifinals ;Final 1924 ;First round ;Second round ;Quarterfinals ;Replays * The first match between Vasa IS and Abo IFK in Vaasa ended 2-2. The football association ordered a rematch to be played the following Sunday in Turku. Vasa would have had to leave on Saturday to get to the match. The team had nine students whose principal refused to grant them the day off school, so Vasa was forced to forfeit the replay. ;Semifinals ;Final 24. helmikuuta 1924 Helsingissä 1925 ;Early rounds ;Semifinals ;Final 1926 ;Early rounds ;Semifinals ;Final 1927 ;Early rounds ;Semifinals ;Final 1928 ;First round ;Second round ;Third round ;Quarterfinals ;Semifinals ;Final 1929 ;First round ;Second round ;Quarterfinals ;Final 1930 ;First round ;Quarterfinals ;Semifinals ;Final Workers' Championships ;1924 The first Workers' Bandy Championship was held in 1924. Five teams (four from Helsinki and one from Tampere) participated in the competition. Helsingin Jyry defeated Tampereen Kisa-Toverit 6-2 in the final. ;1925 Not held due to mild winter. ;1926 Final: Helsingin Kullervo 4 - Helsingin Jyry 3 ;1927 First round Semifinals Final ;1928 ;1929 ;1930 Category:History